Eatdrink #54 July/August 2015
Local food and drink magazine serving London and Southwestern Ontario since 2007
Local food and drink magazine serving London and Southwestern Ontario since 2007
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44 www.eatdrink.ca<br />
№ 54 | <strong>July</strong>/<strong>August</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
wine<br />
Wines for Summertime Sipping<br />
“It’s a smile, it’s a kiss. It’s a sip of wine, it’s summertime.”<br />
By GARY KILLOPS<br />
So, what is a summer sipping wine?<br />
The hot summer days call for light<br />
and refreshing wines with crisp<br />
acidity that excites the palate. White<br />
wines such as riesling, sauvignon blanc and<br />
Lillet Blanc are perfect patio or pool-side<br />
sippers.<br />
It’s a rite of passage every summer<br />
around our place that Kenny Chensey’s<br />
“Summertime” song is played good<br />
and loud over our outdoor speakers<br />
as I open a bottle of Lillet Blanc.<br />
Summertime is finally here. Before<br />
the potato salad, corn on the cob and<br />
BBQ’d burgers fill our plates, a glass<br />
of Lillet is a must.<br />
Lillet (pronounced lee-lay)<br />
is an aperitif made just south of<br />
Bordeaux, using 85% sémillon<br />
grapes and 15% liqueurs, fruits and<br />
herbs. It has fresh, lively citrus<br />
flavours, spicy pine resin and<br />
honey notes. Just pour Lillet<br />
Blanc into a glass over ice, add<br />
an orange wedge and serve.<br />
Lillet Blanc is also the<br />
base for a “Vesper Martini”.<br />
Devoted James Bond fans will<br />
recognize this as the drink that Agent<br />
007 ordered in the movie Casino<br />
Royale. Bond gave the bartender the<br />
following instructions “three measures<br />
of Gordon’s gin, one of vodka, half a<br />
measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very<br />
well until it’s ice-cold, then add a thin<br />
slice of lemon peel. Got it?”<br />
Kina Lillet has been reformulated<br />
and is now called Lillet. If you would like to<br />
make your own version of Bond’s Vesper or<br />
perhaps just pour a glass of Lillet over ice<br />
for a summer drink like I do, it’s available<br />
at many LCBO Vintages locations for $17.95<br />
(LCBO product #322297).<br />
Other Recommendations<br />
An easy dinking, crisp wine for summer<br />
time patio sipping is sauvignon<br />
blanc. It’s light and refreshing, with<br />
zesty grapefruit and grassy notes that<br />
quench a summer thirst like no other<br />
wine can.<br />
Sauvignon blanc pairs well with<br />
grilled shrimp and salads, and<br />
is a must-try with pizza topped<br />
with goat cheese. Here are a few<br />
sauvignon blanc suggestions that<br />
are available at the LCBO.<br />
Creekside Backyard Block 2013<br />
Sauvignon Blanc. ($17.95, LCBO<br />
#341792) — Loaded with aromatic<br />
tropical fruit notes and fresh citrus<br />
fruit notes. This is summer in a glass!<br />
Thalia Sauvignon Blanc Vilana<br />
($9.95, LCBO #273490) — Greece offers<br />
some of the best wine values at the LCBO.<br />
This sauvignon blanc, priced under<br />
$10, is the deal of the summer. Crisp<br />
lemon notes with a lingering finish.<br />
Henri Bourgeois Les<br />
Baronnes Sancerre ($24.95,<br />
LCBO# 542548) — This<br />
Vintages Essential offers<br />
classic sauvignon blanc<br />
characteristics. Lemonlime<br />
citrus, green pepper,<br />
gooseberry, grassy,<br />
herbaceous style with lively<br />
acidity and a minerality<br />
backbone. It’s a classic<br />
example of wine from France’s<br />
eastern Loire Valley.<br />
Riesling is the Ideal Summer Wine<br />
Riesling has a bit of a bad reputation. Many<br />
still think of it as a cheap, sweet wine,<br />
perhaps due to Blue Nun, a German riesling
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